How are you going to convince the entire Tibetan monastic tradition to hold to the Vinaya, Hanzze? Give it a try, be my guest.

According to Melvyn Goldstein, who has devoted his academic career to studying Tibetan society and the monastic tradition, the priority for the Tibetan government was quantity of monks, not quality. Having a country full of monasteries with thousands of monks in each was the pride of Tibet--a country devoted to spirituality rather than materialism. Because most monks joined as small children, in order to retain monks after they reached their majority and were allowed to choose whether to stay or leave, the Vinaya weren't strictly enforced, and they still aren't.

I think the time has come to restrict entry into the monkhood to adults, and provide a quality religious education to all, rather than the two-tiered system that exists now, where only the top 10% get advanced teachings, and the rest end up being servants to the others, and doing menial jobs without learning the meaning behind all the prayers and texts they've memorized. This should be done throughout Asia, where child novices are still allowed.

What about starting to simple care about the Vinaya and let go of personal ideas to make a bypass around it? *smile*

KR is the head of the Shangpa Kagyu lineage. He is in charge of the previous Kalu R.'s rather large international organization of dharma centers. The only monastery I know of that is his is called Sonada in India, but there may be others for all I know.

If he sees the need for reforms, then that is his responsibility to see that they are done. He seems interested in doing so.

All I'll say is if he's going to try to reform dharma centers in the West he'll need all the luck and help he can get!

« Last Edit: December 28, 2011, 08:36:37 pm by santamonicacj »

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Warning: I'm enough of a fundamentalist Tibet style Buddhist to believe that for the last 1,000 years Tibet has produced a handful of enlightened masters in every generation. I do not ask that YOU believe it, but it will greatly simplify conversations if you understand that about me. Thanks.